Sentimental Value
by Bolt Thunder
Summary: Throughout his life, the only thing Kakuzu has ever trusted was money. Money may have financial value, but what about sentimental value? KakuHidan.
1. The Great Book of Jashin

If an object has sentimental value it tends to mean the person who owns that object has some sort of emotional bond with it. This bond is usually associated with memories that bring that person some sort of joy, like memories of someone close to them that may no longer be around. For example, the big leather book which the sliver haired preacher always insisted on reading before he would allow the light to go out so they both could go to bed. The book had to have some sort of this "sentimental value" to the preacher because when Kakuzu had accidentally tossed it on the ground, along with the table he had been filling out his check book with, the foul-mouth preacher immediately jumped from his spot on the hotel bed to defend his poor abused bible. This had surprised Kakuzu because Hidan was usually smart enough to know not to get in Kakuzu's way when he had realized how much money he had lost for paying for tonight's stay. Hidan had immediately grabbed the huge leather book in his arms and cradled it as if it were a child that had just taken the abuse instead of a book. He looked down at it to check for damage before glaring back up at the one who had caused the damage. Kakuzu just looked back down at him with a look that could only say one thing, 'what the fuck?!'

"What the fuck were you thinking when you so carelessly tossed the great book of Jashin to the floor like that?!" Hidan spat up at his partner, "You just insulted Jashin, you fuck face!"

"I don't care about your stupid god, Hidan." Kakuzu growled in a low voice as he rubbed his temples. Tonight's stay had cost him over 9967¥. That much money being thrown away just because the foul-mouthed bustard wanted to take a shower and felt he was too good for a sleeping bag didn't exactly make Kakuzu too happy.

"You better fucking care!" The irksome preacher urged on, "Tossing the great book to the ground is a sin! I don't care if you're pissed about money, that doesn't give you any right to degrade Jashin!"

"It was a fucking accident, all right!" Kakuzu was now raising his voice, he had enough to worry about without this fucking zealot preaching to him about some stupid cult which he called a religion. He wanted to punch the idiot in the face, to grab his jaw and rip it right off so he didn't have to hear the bustard's consisted bitching. Instead he tried to take a deep breath and relax himself as the preacher began to walk back over to his bed.

"It better have been..." Hidan spat under his breath, his violet eyes still glaring over his shoulder back at Kakuzu. Kakuzu glared back, clenching his fists. Fights were normal between the two of them; they were so frequent Kakuzu didn't understand why he wasn't used to them yet. Perhaps it was because he was use to being able to threaten his partners with them actually having fear of being seriously hurt. Hidan, however, was different. He didn't fear what Kakuzu did to him one bit, because, unlike Kakuzu's former partners, Hidan could easier recover from any brutal damage the stitch man might inflict on him. Hurting the sliver haired bustard only pissed Kakuzu off more anyway. Anytime Kakuzu would lay a hand on him he would smirk ever so slightly, the smirk growing wider and wider with each punch Kakuzu would throw. Fucking masochist.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Kakuzu turned back to the table he had tossed over, and the cause of the whole fight between them. He stared at the papers which had been scattered across the floor, glaring at his scratchy handwriting as it stared back up at him as if it were innocent. Looking at the damage only gave him more of a headache, he was tired of always having to be the one to clean up after everything.

"Fuck it." Kakuzu growled in a deep voice before turning away from the mess and began stomping over toward his bed.

Hidan was already seated comfortable in his bed, his legs crossed with the leather book that he cared so deeply for spread open across them, his eyes scanning the words inside. The words which Kakuzu was certain the enthusiast zealot had read over a dozen times in the past month. Kakuzu paid no attention to Hidan, however, he was more interested in getting on his bed and throwing the blanket over himself, head and all. He squeezed his tired eyes shut, trying to focus on sleep while avoiding the light behind him that was creeping up on his shoulder. He knew the light wasn't going to go off until much later, since Hidan had only started to read his accursed bible. Still, Kakuzu was feeling tired as shit, stress usually made him tired.

The flip of a paper was the only thing heard in the small room, after that there was nothing but silence. Suddenly Kakuzu heard the noise of a book being slammed shut. He questioned the noise in his head, was that bustard trying to by spiteful or something? Then again, the idiot probably didn't even know the meaning of the word. Then came the noise of a click and Kakuzu realized light no longer shined across his closed eye lids. There was a ruffle of sheets from the other bed, and then silence filled the air between them once again. Kakuzu laid there for a moment without moving. Slowly he allowed his eyes to flutter open, his eyes taking a while to adjust to the new found darkness of the room. After a few minutes he decided to roll over, wanting to see just what the zealot was plotting. All he saw was a lump of blanket on the other bed with a few strands of sliver hair lying across the pillow. Kakuzu stared at the other bed for a while. He knew he would never get an explanation for this random act of kindness. Not knowing what else to do, Kakuzu closed his tired eyes once more. He didn't want to waste such a rare opportunity.

A/n: This is a KakuHidan fan fiction that I've been working on. It's my first fan fiction, so I apologize if it's not too good. I'm hoping to update this weekly. The first chapter's not that long, but the others should be longer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it so far!


	2. A Pledge and Some Ramen

Since that night Kakuzu has been thinking a lot more about the sliver haired zealot and sentimental value. Hidan was the kind of person who does whatever he wants, regardless of what other people tell him. So why did he decide to turn the light off so Kakuzu could get some sleep instead of reading "the great book of Jashin", or whatever he called it. Why was Hidan, of all people, being nice to him? At first Kakuzu thought he was going to pull some "pay it forward" bullshit. Trying to teach him morals or some crap. Perhaps he wanted Kakuzu to do something for him to pay for this rare act of kindness. However, the next morning Hidan didn't mention a thing about what happened last night, and he hasn't since. The next morning Kakuzu had awoke to see Hidan's bed empty with the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. This actually surprised Kakuzu because he was used to having to drag the sliver haired moron from his bed before he could even think of leaving the hotel. Hidan might be stupid, but even the stupidest of animals could realize some sort of routine or pattern if given enough time. Hidan knew that every time he had the chance to get Kakuzu to rent a hotel room that he better make the best of it, and that meant sleeping as long as he could in a soft comfortable bed. That's why it had been so surprising. Perhaps it was because he hadn't had his shower the night before and didn't want to piss Kakuzu off by getting up late and taking another 30 minutes of precious time by taking a shower. Still, something just didn't seem right about the way Hidan was acting. Hidan never did anything unless it benefited him in some sort of way. Even though Hidan was sort of new to the Akatsuki, Kakuzu knew Hidan's type fairly well. He had partners in the past who were like Hidan, only not as bad. Hidan was a self-centered zealot, or in other words, the only person he respected more than himself was his God. Every other partner Kakuzu had that had characteristics remotely similar to these he would kill before they could even go on a mission together. Yet Hidan was different. No matter what Kakuzu did to him, the bastard wouldn't die. Kakuzu realized he was stuck with Hidan, since Sir Leader-sama was being a smart ass and wouldn't allow him to change partners.

Kakuzu had stared at the empty bed for a while before he decided to actually get up. He figured he'd mind as well pick up the papers he had left on the floor from the night before. However, when he looked back at the mess, he froze. The mess was gone. Well, the table was still on the floor, but the papers had been picked up. Kakuzu looked around for a moment and noticed they were sitting on the night stand next to him, neatly stacked next to Hidan's bible. Kakuzu had sat there for a long while, just staring at the papers dumbfounded. Something was seriously wrong with Hidan. He was suddenly pulled from his trance when he heard the noise of the bathroom door opening and the small sound of foot steps walking toward him. He turned to see Hidan wearing nothing but his pants and a towel still wrapped around his shoulders to prevent his wet hair from dripping water down his back. He stared at Hidan, and Hidan stared back for a good moment. Hidan suddenly frowned.

"What?" Hidan had said with a some what whiney tone.

Kakuzu eyes widened surprised before he shook his head and turned away. "Nothing." He paused for a moment before he decided to stand up, "Hurry up and dry off. We're leaving in 15 minutes."

With that Kakuzu had walked past Hidan and over to his suitcase which lay against the wall next to a coat hanger. He grabbed it before walking past Hidan once more and back over to the papers on the night stand. Placing the suit case on the bed, he sat down on the corner and grabbed the neatly stacked papers in his hands. He stared at them for a moment, then looked back up at Hidan who was still standing there watching him. He raised an eye brow at him, causing him to grab the towel around his neck and pull it over his head. Ruffling his hair dry with the towel, he turned and began making his way back to the bathroom. He was going to have to hurry if he wanted to get his hair dry fast enough to put gel in it. Kakuzu watched the bathroom door close, ending any conversation he was having with the sliver haired preacher. He turned back to the papers in his hand, looking down at them one last time before he popped open his suit case and placed them inside. He had sat there on the edge of the bed until the bathroom door clicked open once more. Hidan had emerged with his sliver hair slicked back neatly, his head band wrapped around his neck, his rosary hanging in its place, and still shirtless; he seemed ready to leave. There was nothing said as they both threw their cloaks with the matching symbol of a red cloud around their shoulders and left the hotel room.

Even though Hidan had acted weird that night, that didn't stop him from acting like himself once they were back on the road. As they walked he continuously bitched about how much his feet hurt and how much he hated the sun for being 'so goddamn fucking hot.' It made Kakuzu wonder if maybe he was thinking to hard about the way the Jashinist was acting. It was obvious just a one time thing, and Kakuzu was glad that he had taken advantage of it. However, as they walked through a small village, the preacher suddenly fell silent. Kakuzu questioned it for a moment, but decided it was nothing and just continued along the path, they were only passing through after all. Suddenly he heard a low growling noise coming from behind him. He shifted his head slightly to look at his partner, and the source of the noise. The sliver haired preacher frowned as he put a hand on his stomach and looked away so not to make eye contact. Kakuzu raised a brow, but turned away and continued on his way. If the zealot was hungry he would say something, he usually did. However, as they continued to walk the only thing Kakuzu heard from his partner was small a low growling noise every so often. As they passed by a ramen stand Kakuzu realized the sound of footsteps behind him had come to a stop. He turned to see Hidan standing there, just staring at the ramen stand with his hand over his stomach. The preacher turned to look at Kakuzu who stared at him confused. Hidan frowned and then began running to catch back up with his partner, turning his head back toward the ramen stand with a frown. Apparently Hidan was to busy worrying about his stomach that he didn't realize Kakuzu hadn't began walking again. Hidan ran right into him, stumblingly back slightly before losing balance and falling onto his back.

"What the fuck?!" Hidan yelled louder than necessary as he position himself up right.

Kakuzu just rolled his eyes as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a few dollars. "I still have some money left over from the hotel. If you're hungry you could have just asked instead of acting like a straving puppy."

Hidan frowned, his face turning into a pout as he turned to look away, his cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment. Kakuzu sighed, then extended his arm out to help the idiot preacher up. Hidan looked back at Kakuzu's hand surprised, but excepted it with a small smile. Kakuzu stared at the smile for a moment, slightly surprised himself. The smile on Hidan's face wasn't his normal smirk, instead it was an actually smile, the kind that usually meant someone was happy. Kakuzu stared at the Jashinist as he dusted himself off, then looked back up at him with a smile before he began walking back to the ramen stand with some what of a bounce in his step. Kakuzu stood in the same spot, just staring. There was definitely something up with Hidan. Still, seeing him smile so happily made Kakuzu smirk a bit under his mask. It was somewhat amusing, and it made him wonder if the preacher was always going to act this way when he got something that he wanted, without having to bitch and whine until Kakuzu smashed his face in.

"Hey, are you coming?!" Kakuzu was taken away from his thoughts from the sound of Hidan's voice yelling back at him. A nod was his response as he began to walk over to the ramen stand with his partner.

Kakuzu sat down on the stool next to Hidan and pulled out his money once more to count it. The bastard better not spend more than 593¥, Kakuzu wasn't going to dish out more money than necessary. They were greeted by a tall man with black hair that hung in his face, making it hard to tell if he was smiling or not. He began telling Hidan and him about the special of the day, which was some kind of pork ramen with some sort of sauce, and then asked if they would like anything to drink. Kakuzu looked over at Hidan who was smiling once more, licking his lips in delight. Kakuzu rolled his eyes before turning to the man to ask a very significant question; how much would it cost? This caused a frown to form over his partner's face, followed by the same irritated look he always gave Kakuzu when he asked that question. Kakuzu ignored it as he waited for his question to be answered. The man just smiled, or at least Kakuzu thought he was smiling, and answered that for two bowls of ramen it would cost 500¥, only 250¥ each. Kakuzu had to admit, that was a pretty good deal, and since he didn't want to hear a starving partner's constant bitching, he excepted. A smile returned on the Jashinist's face as he ordered "today's special" that the man had mentioned, Kakuzu decided to order a bowl of spicy chicken ramen. The man took their orders before turning around to began the preparation of the noodles. Kakuzu sat patiently, watching the man silently as he pulled out sauces and began to mixing them with the noodles. However, that didn't stop his irksome teammate from keeping his mouth shut. Hidan keep sniffing the air, commenting of how 'fucking good it smells', and licking his lips with a smile. Kakuzu sighed to himself, feeling embarrassed to be seen with such a ignorant zealot. As they waited Hidan also tired to make conversation, asking questions like 'how the fuck are you going to eat with that mask on?' and 'how can you like spicy food?' Kakuzu just ignored him even more. Why waste his breath on someone as ignorant as Hidan.

The man turned around after a while with two bowls in his hands, which he placed down in front of the two Akatsuki members with what look to be a smile, but Kakuzu still wasn't sure. Hidan's eyes gleamed brightly at the freshly made food, something he rarely seen when traveling with Kakuzu. He picked up his chop sticks as fast as he could and began slurping the noodles into his mouth with a smile. Once again Kakuzu felt embarrassed to be seen with such an ignorant bastard. He brushed it off and picked up his pair of chop sticks to begin his meal. He reached up to begin taking his mask off, but stopped when he felt eyes on him. He looked over at Hidan who had stopped eating and was now staring at Kakuzu's mask, his eyes seemed wide with anticipation. Kakuzu glared at him for a moment before raising a brow, this really wasn't a good time to irritate him, there was never a good time to irritate someone like Kakuzu. Still, the preacher stared, waiting almost patiently for Kakuzu to remove his mask and begin his meal. Kakuzu sighed, removing his hand from his mask he stared down at the bowl of ramen in front of him. He could see his reflection in the broth of ramen staring back up at him. Two eyes with black sclera and emerald green irises where the only thing staring back at him, the rest of his face was covered in cloth. He grimaced, he wasn't really that hungry, he could wait till later to eat something.

"Kakuzu?"

It didn't seem that he had heard his name being called, it seemed he was to preoccupied staring at the face in the broth.

"Kakuzu?!"

This time his name was being called slightly louder, loud enough to get his attention anyway. He blinked a couple times before giving a small "Hm?" to let the sliver haired man next to him know he was listening.

"Are you alright?" The preacher asked, his voice sounded like it had some kind of actual concern in it.

"Fine..." Kakuzu replied, his voice sounding like it had no emotion behind it.

Hidan frowned, "You don't seem fine. Does it have something to do with your mask?"

Kakuzu just simply shook his head, "I'm just not hungry..."

"How can you not be hungry?" The preacher urged on, "We haven't stopped to eat anything in days! You have to eat sometime, dammit!"

Kakuzu scowled, "I just don't want to take my mask off, alright? Why do you have to bother me? Worry about stuffing your face, I can take care of myself."

Hidan seemed like he was becoming pissed, which he did quiet often. Sometimes Kakuzu wondered if the Jashinist had a shorter temper than him. "I'm just trying to show some concern, dammit! Why the fuck do you have to be such a stubborn prick anyway? It's been over six months since we became partners and not once have I seen you without your damn mask on! We're partners! You're suppose to fucking trust me!"

Kakuzu glared over at his partner, "Why should I trust you? It isn't like you trust me. Just because we're partners doesn't mean we have to have trust eachother."

"Why fucking not?" Hidan began to look like he was sulking, "We trust eachother with our lives, right? If things get really bad you always back me up. Well, I have to pretty much fucking beg you to, but at least you don't be a complete fucking prick and just leave me there. Seriously, if you don't trust me than who the hell do you trust?"

Kakuzu sighed and shook his head, "I've already told you, the only thing you can truly trust is money. You chose to put your trust in your stupid religion, and that's your problem. Money is the only thing that has never let me down, that's why it has earned my trust. You, however, have yet to prove any usefulness besides helping me collect bounties. I can do that on my own, so I really don't see any point of having you as a partner."

Hidan's expression turned into a scowl. He stared at his partner, his violet eyes looking into Kakuzu's green ones as a silence swept over them. He opened his mouth, about to curse Kakuzu out with every insult he knew. Suddenly he stopped, he closed his mouth and turned his head back to his bowl with a angry pout on his face. "You really are a fucking prick, you know that?"

Kakuzu just shook his head before turning back to look back at his bowl. Suddenly he noticed Hidan standing up from his seat. He watched as he reached back to adjust the three blade scythe on his back before turning to look down at Kakuzu with his usual superior look that he gave to just about everyone. Kakuzu looked up at him, staring at him for a moment. He suddenly saw a smirk smear across the preacher's face.

"Well then," Hidan began, the smirk growing wider as he spoke, "I guess I'm going to have to find some way to prove to you that you need me just as much as you need your precious money."

With that the silver haired preacher turned away and began walking down the street of the small village once more. Kakuzu sat there for a moment, then turned back to his bowl of untouched ramen. He smirked slightly under his mask as he placed the money he owned for the meal onto the table. Well then, Hidan, let's see if you're as dispensable as 500¥.

A/n: I imagine that Kakuzu is like my brother; very serious and serene person, but loves spicy food.

I don't really like this chapter. All the talk about ramen gives me a headache. I wish I could find a hot bowl of freshly made ramen for only 250¥... (I'm lucky to find one for 500¥, and they got two for that price!)

Anyway, I hope you like it. Thank you all for your reviews! I really appreciate them! Oh yeah, I went back through the first chapter and corrected my miss spelling of the word bastard. (I hope it changes my edits...) Thank you to Shadow Priesstes for pointing that out!


	3. Hidden Confession

There was a silence between the two Akatsuki members as they began traveling once more. Every now and then Hidan would open his mouth to complain about his feet hurting or how the sun hurt his eyes, but that was about it. However, as the day turned to night Hidan's complaints began to become louder and louder. He began complaining about how he was becoming tired and that he wanted to stop so he could read his 'great book of Jashin.' Kakuzu just sighed and tried to ignore him. They were getting close to Takigakure, and even though Kakuzu didn't exactly feel comfortable going around that specific area, he still wanted to hurry up and get there so they could fulfill their mission. Their mission was to track down a group of kunoichi who had been causing the Akatsuki some trouble. Kakuzu had agreed to partake in this mission only because the head kunoichi had a pretty big bounty on her head, and he wasn't going to miss a chance to get some more money. Still, returning to his old home land made Kakuzu feel a little uneasy. Returning after hundreds of years was one thing, but he also had to worry about tracker ninjas hunting him down, if they still remembered him that is.

Kakuzu looked up toward the sky, his vision of the sun was blurred by the trees that surround him and his partner. Still, he could tell by the orange colour of the sky that the sun was setting, he could already see the stars trying to fill the sky. He had to admit, he was feeling quiet tired himself, having not eaten anything for awhile and traveling all day non stop usually had a negative affect on someone's body. Kakuzu finally decided it was time to stop when Hidan and him came across an old shack that was sitting in the forest. It looked filthy, worn down, and probably about as old as Kakuzu himself, but it would have to do. Kakuzu noticed Hidan grimace as he placed his hand on the door's handle and pushed it open with a loud creak. The shack's horrible stench came rushing out at the moment, hitting both Hidan and Kakuzu square in their faces. Hidan quickly grabbed his nose, he leaned over and began to make gagging noises as if he was going to throw up. The shack smelled like it had a corpse that had been rotting in it for years, which Kakuzu didn't think was impossible considering it was abandoned. Kakuzu peered inside, less affected by the smell because of his mask, he noticed a bed and even a small kitchen inside. He turned back to Hidan and motion for him that it was safe to come inside, but Hidan just shook his head.

"If you fucking think I'm going in that disgusting thing, forget it! Jashin only knows what's crawling around in there! There could fucking be spiders, rats, snakes, or even lice! I'm not risking ruining my fucking hair!"

Kakuzu closed his eyes, he was already becoming irritated. "It's either here or the woods, Hidan. You decide."

Hidan crossed his arms and frowned. It looked more like a pout than a frown, and Kakuzu was starting to find it funny to see someone as old as Hidan acting like a five year old. The Jashinist looked back at the shack, peering pass Kakuzu and inside. He studied the inside for a moment, trying to decide whether it was safer in the shack or outside. He frowned again, a small look on defeat on his face.

"Fine..." Hidan finally said, grimacing slightly, "We'll sleep in the fucking shack."

With that Kakuzu turned around and began walking into the shack, Hidan following behind him with caution. If only Hidan used this kind of caution when they were fighting then maybe he wouldn't be having his head cut off as much. Kakuzu walked over to the bed, he dusted it off before sitting down and began to rummage through the drawers of the night stand next to it. He frowned when he wasn't able to find any money.

Hidan stood in the middle of the room obseving the inside of the shack with a disgusted look on his face. Kakuzu watched as the Jashinist began heading over to the fridge that was in the small kitchen Kakuzu had saw before entering. The preacher placed his hand on the handle and gave a hard tug. The door swung open roughly, letting out a sharp squeak from the rusty hinges. Hidan bent down to search the inside of the fridge, but quickly back away with a disturbed and disgusted look on his face. Kakuzu wasn't sure what the preacher had seen, but whatever it was had Hidan closing the door so he wouldn't make the mistake of looking back in it later by accident. Kakuzu smiled slightly at Hidan's stupidity, it was obvious there wasn't going to be anything pleasant in the fridge considering the shack no longer had electricity. Still, Kakuzu had to give Hidan some points for trying. He turned to look back down at the sandals which were still on is feet, he was trying to decide whether it was safe enough to take them off or not. He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts, however, when he felt a shift of weight on the bed. He turned to see Hidan sitting on the other side of the bed, positioning himself so his back was leaning against the wall as he pulled his bible out from the inside of his cloak.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kakuzu asked, raising a brow.

Hidan looked over at him confused, "I'm reading the great book of Jashin. You know I always read before I go to bed."

"That's not what I mean." Kakuzu frowned, "I mean what are you doing on the bed?"

Hidan looked surpised, then confused once more, "I'm getting ready to go to sleep, what do you think I'm doing?"

"Not here." Kakuzu shook his head, then pointed to the floor. "You're sleeping on the floor, so get up."

Hidan's jaw dropped, "You can't fucking be serious! You fucking want me to sleep down there?!"

Kakuzu just nodded and pointed at the floor once more, "I'm not sharing a bed with you. God only knows what you do in your sleep, so get up."

"You asshole!" Hidan yelled louder then necessary, considering his partner was right next to him. "No! If you don't want to share a fucking bed with me then you can sleep on the fucking floor and have rats crawl up your stinkin' ass!"

Kakuzu glared over at his partner in anger, "Hidan, I'm stronger than you. Don't make me fight you for this."

Hidan crossed his arms and glared back, "Fuck you, Kakuzu! I'm tired of you fatass telling me what to do just because you're bigger than me! I'm not sleeping on the fucking floor, and that's final!"

Suddenly Kakuzu reached over and gave Hidan a hard shove, causing him to fall directly onto the floor. Hidan let out a small yelp in pain as he landed on a mixture of his head and shoulder. He quickly position himself to get back up, but was quickly knocked back down when Kakuzu chucked his bible right in his face. Hidan began rubbing his nose, he let out a loud whine as his bible landed in his lap. Hidan quit rubbing his nose to glare up at Kakuzu who was now making himself comfortable on the bed, he threw the blanket over his shoulder and turned his back to Hidan before issuing a quiet 'good night.' Hidan just flipped him off, he grumbled to himself as he opened his bible to begin reading.

Silence swept over the small shack, causing Kakuzu to feel uncomfortable. He laid there, thinking to himself, slowly realizing that he was unable to sleep. He tossed around a bit, trying to find a more comfortable position, but it was useless. Finally he turned to look at Hidan to see if the sliver haired preacher was still reading his stupid bible. He was surprised to see Hidan staring at him from the corner of his eye, looking as if he was thinking about something. Hidan eyes suddenly widened when he realized Kakuzu was staring back at him. He quickly turned his head back to his bible and acted as if he had been reading the entire time. Kakuzu wondered what the preacher was doing, but just shook it off and closed his eyes once more to try to go to sleep. His efforts were once again proven pointless, so he decided to crack his eyes open slightly to see what the Jashinist was doing. Once again he was greeted by Hidan's eyes staring at him, now it was starting to irritate him. Hidan realized that he had been caught once more and tried to turn his head back to his bible to act as if he wasn't doing anything, but Kakuzu was to quick for him.

"What are you doing?" Kakuzu asked, his voice sounded soft and slightly irritated.

Hidan looked back at him surprised and nervous, "W-what do you mean? I'm reading..." Hidan looked back toward his bible as if it had been the only thing he had been staring at for the past 45 minutes. He then looked back at Kakuzu, trying his best to look confused. "Why?"

Kakuzu shook his head. "No you haven't..." He said calmly, ignoring the preacher's question. "I'm not stupid. I saw you looking at me."

The nervous look appeared on the Jashinist's face once more. He gulped as he looked over at Kakuzu with wide eyes. For once in his life he was speechless, he knew he couldn't say anything to cover his actions up. Silence once again filled the air between them.

"Why?" Kakuzu finally said, breaking the slience, "Are you still pissed about having to sleep on the floor?"

Hidan rolled his eyes, "Well, yeah! Of course I am! Seriously, you're a fucking prick!" Hidan crossed his arms and glared over at his partner. He suddenly frowned and turned away, his voice growing soft. "But that's not why I was staring..."

Slience began to grow between them once more."Then why?" Kakuzu asked again after a while.

Hidan frowned more, "I was just reading something in the great book of Jashin that reminded me of you, that's all."

Kakuzu stared at Hidan sliently for a moment, "What was it?" He asked, his voice was still soft and calm.

Hidan turned his head away more, trying not to make any eye contact. "It was just something about a greedy heathen who has no faith in Jashin... And a girl..." A sort of sadness began to form in his voice. "Who tries to help him find faith... Because she doesn't want him to go to hell... Because... Because she loves him... That's all."

Kakuzu wasn't a fool, and despite how hard Hidan was trying to hide it, he could figure out that the story related to him in more ways than the main character being a greedy bastard. He couldn't tell if Hidan had realized that he had picked up on the confession which the Jashinist had tried to hide within the story. Kakuzu laid in the bed, staring at the back of Hidan's head because he refused to turn around in fear of making eye contact. Hidan couldn't possibly have a crush on him... Could he? How can anyone have a crush on someone as cold and merciless as Kakuzu? It wasn't like he had looks to back up his repulsive personality. Kakuzu had always saw him and Hidan as complete opposites, both in looks and personality. Kakuzu just couldn't understand how someone like Hidan, a handsome saint, could like a money hungry pile of threads like himself.

A few minutes passed by and Hidan tried to turn around to face Kakuzu, but quickly turned back around when he notice Kakuzu staring. Kakuzu frowned, he had never expected to see Hidan so shy and vulnerable. Hidan was always so bold, never afraid to tell someone what he thought of them, acting as if nothing could slow him down. Yet here he was, to nervous to even look Kakuzu in the eyes. Kakuzu wondered how long it had been since the sliver haired Jashinist had started to have theses feelings toward him. Finally Kakuzu once again decided to break the silence, he decided it was best not to let Hidan know he had picked up on the meaning behind the story.

"What about the girl?" he asked softly, "What do you think about her feelings toward this faithless heathen?"

Hidan rolled his eyes once more before crossing his arms closer to his chest, "Tch, I think she's a fucking fool! If the bastard's anything like you than he will never see the light of Jashin and convert! He'll go to hell, and she'll be left all alone. She's a fucking fool to love someone like that... He'd never return her feelings... She should just give up..."

Hidan suddenly fell silent once more. He still had his arms crossed and his head was slanted downwards and away from Kakuzu. Kakuzu frowned beneath his mask. He didn't like seeing Hidan like this, being so quiet didn't suit him at all. As much as he hated saying it, he missed it when Hidan would smile and just rant on about his stupid religion. It hurt him to see Hidan acting so timid and scared, scared that Kakuzu was going to realize his feelings for him and reject him with violent cursing.

"Hidan..." Kakuzu finally said, his voice was softer than normal. He wasn't sure if the preacher heard him at first, but then he saw Hidan nod just slightly. He took a deep breath before finishing. "Get in this bed..."

Hidan suddenly turned around to face Kakuzu. He had a look of sadness and confusion on his face that made Kakuzu feel a sinking feeling in one of his hearts. He was certain that he could almost see tears welling up in the corners of the preacher's violet eyes. Compassion was never one of Kakuzu's strong points, and he could tell by the way Hidan hesitated that he didn't exactly trust Kakuzu at this moment. Kakuzu could tell by the unsure look on his face that Hidan was trying to decide whether or not Kakuzu was trying to trick him. Hidan looked down at his bible for a moment before looking back up at Kakuzu with the same look of uncertainty on his face.

"A-Are you su-"

"Yes." Kakuzu said, interrupting Hidan before he could finish. "Now hurry up... Before I change my mind."

Kakuzu then turned over to the other side of the bed to make room for Hidan, his back now to the preacher. He wasn't sure if Hidan was actually going to accept his offer, then suddenly he felt a shift a weight on the bed just like before. He could feel the sheets being ruffled around as the preacher tried to make himself comfortable under the blanket, bumping against Kakuzu a few times before settling down. Suddenly the movement stopped and silence filled the room once more. Kakuzu laid there for a moment, his eyes open and staring at the filthy wall of the shack. He slowly began to close his eyes, finding it easier to sleep now for some odd reason. Suddenly he heard a soft whisper, almost like a prayer, from behind him.

"Thanks..."

Kakuzu finally closed his eyes. For some reason, Kakuzu had found the old, rusty bed the best bed he had ever slept in.

---

A/n: I don't know about anyone else, but I like the idea of self-conscious Kakuzu...

Yeah, I just thought I should mention that this fic has no sex in it... Even though they're sleeping in the same bed.

It's more of a romantic story, or perhaps fluff... I'm not really to sure what to call it.

I would like to apologize again for my spelling. I check over it every time, but I know there are those few mistakes that always seem to slip past me.

Oh, and thanks again for the reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me!


	4. A Treasurer's Past

Through out his life, Kakuzu had learned that the only thing that could ever bring him happiness was money. Kakuzu had grew up in a poor family, and as a child never really understood why he couldn't have the things others did. He couldn't understand why when he had went to the summer festival when he was five there were people wearing beautiful robes, his mother called them 'yukatas', while he had to wear clothes covered in dirt and holes. As he had gotten older and began taking on mission as a ninja he began realizing more and more how different his lifestyle was to everyone else's. Once he had a mission to infiltrate a castle owned by a feudal lord who had been abusing his powers a little too much. There he saw a entire room filled with gold that the feudal lord had been taking from the villagers. He remembered how the gold had glittered brightly off his emerald green eyes, the feeling of greed slowly overcoming his body. He decided that he wasn't going to live a life like his mother, a single parent living on the streets who had trouble trying to provide for just one son. He was going to make something of himself, and the only way of doing that was to get money; no matter the cost.

Kakuzu had loved his mother, however, as the years passed he began to feel resentment toward her. He hated how she would always warn him to not let envy and greed control his actions and that money wasn't everything. 'Kakuzu, your eyes are green with envy. Don't let that control you. Once you let one sin control you, then they all will. Before you know it, you'll be all alone with no one to love you.' He remembered her warnings well. However, he didn't care for them. He didn't want anyone to love him, he felt all love was good for was slowing you down. What was the point of having a relationship with another person, they never lasted anyway. Why waste so much time and money on someone whose just going to repay you with a broken heart? People couldn't live forever, however, money was eternal. Money may change value at times, but it's still there. Kakuzu's mother was foolish, she never understood Kakuzu's point of view. That's why she died before Kakuzu had even became a Chunin.

Lately, however, Kakuzu had been wondering if maybe it was him who was in the wrong. His mother may have never tried to see his point of view, but neither did he. He had always found his mother's point of view foolish and ludicrous. He found it ironic that his mother could think in such a way after having his father abandon her on the streets while she was still pregnant with him. It confused him how, after all that's happened to her, she would always smile and tell him how much she loved him. Even as she died, she continued to smile. How could she have been so happy when she had nothing. No home, no friends, no money; just a son who resented her deep down in his heart for bringing him into the world. She had one thing Kakuzu had never had, she had someone who was special to her; she had sentimental value.

Kakuzu had devoted his entire life to money. He knew that his greediness would lead him to a life of loneliness, and he had accepted that. After all these years of following by these rules it was hard for him to understand the foreign feeling he was having in his heart as he felt the preacher's forehead gently press against his back. It felt as if one of his hearts had skipped a beat as Hidan's warm skin press against the cold stitches on his back that were only covered by the cloth of his cloak. He could feel Hidan's knees press against the lower part of his back between the two bottom masks, while his forehead lay gently between the two upper masks. He laid there for a moment, trying to understand why his hearts suddenly started to race faster and the skin around his face felt so much warmer.

After a while, Kakuzu decided it was time that he got up, they did still have a mission to complete after all. He was careful to not disturb the preacher too much, he knew Hidan hated being woken up suddenly and without warning, and he really didn't want to have to hear him bitch so early in the morning. After he was up he turned to look back down at his sleeping partner, he noticed a frown suddenly spread across the Jashinist's face. He watched as Hidan grabbed the blanket and wrapped it tighter around his body, trying to replace the warmth of his missing partner's back. Kakuzu smiled slightly under his mask as he watched the display, it was always fun to see how Hidan reacted to change. He usually would either get pissed and curse until things were back to normal, or just sit there and pout, knowing there was nothing he could do to chance the situation. This time he seemed to be doing the more of the latter because he began to toss around on the bed, grabbing the pillow between his arms, however, he was unable to get the desired affect that he wanted. Kakuzu smiled more as he began walking over to the other side of the bed, which Hidan was now curled up in a small ball on. Gently he placed one of his hands on Hidan's shoulder, giving a small push to make sure the preacher was able to feel it in his sleep.

"Hidan, come on, it's time to get up."

Kakuzu watched as his partner rolled over, grabbing the blanket and throwing it over his head before letting out a low grumble. "Five more minutes." Hidan whined, his voice sounded intoxicated from sleep.

Kakuzu stared down at his partner, frowning slightly. Suddenly he let out a sigh, "Fine," he grumbled slightly as he turned away, "five more minutes, but that's all."

With that Kakuzu walked back over to his side of the bed and grabbed his suit case which he had left next to the night stand the night before. He placed the suitcase on top of the night stand as he sat down on the edge of the bed, not being as careful as last time since Hidan had already had a warning that it was time to wake up. He clicked the suit case open and spread it across the night stand. He reached in, ignoring the stacks of money, he grabbed the stack of paper which he had placed inside from a few nights ago. He looked through them for a moment before grabbing his check book which had been under the papers and now lay at the top of his suit case. He placed the papers down and flipped the small paper book open, looking over all the money he had spent in the past month. He frowned when he noticed how much was missing, but took a deep breath before any wrath could take over his body. He closed the small book and placed it back in the suit case along with the papers, sighing softly to himself as he closed the suit case.

Suddenly he heard the ruffling of sheets behind him, he turned to see a drowsy Hidan struggling to sit up right on the rusty bed. He stared at Hidan for a moment, noticing the frown and sad eyes on his face. Hidan stared back at him, keeping the same expression on his face as he spoke.

"Are you mad at me?" His voice was soft, the uncertainty from the night before still lingering in his voice.

Kakuzu was slightly surprised by the question, he frowned before answering. "No, Hidan. I'm not mad at you." His voice was soft and calm. He started to turn back to his suit case, but suddenly stopped when something caught his eye. "Your hair..." He suddenly said as he turned back to face Hidan.

Hidan looked surprised by the sudden comment, then frowned when he realized what Kakuzu was talking about. Sleeping and having so much gel in your hair was never a good combination. Hidan's hair was a mess. The gel held on the clunks of hair, the clunks sticking out in every which direction except for the way they were suppose to. Hidan frowned slightly and averted his eyes away from Kakuzu as a small blush appeared on his cheeks. The fact that Kakuzu, of all people, would bring something like that up meant it had to be bad.

Suddenly Hidan's eyes widened slightly as he turned to look back at Kakuzu who now had his hand on top of Hidan's head. He began running his hand through his hair, the tips of his fingers gently gazing Hidan's scalp, as he tried to make the long sliver strands lay as flat as he could. He frowned when he couldn't get all the hair to look like it had the day before, but finally decided to remove his hand and give up. Hidan knew his hair better, he could fix it easier than Kakuzu ever could. Kakuzu stood up from the bed, he grabbed his suit case before heading over toward the door.

"Hurry up and get ready." Kakuzu demanded "If we hurry, we should be able to make it to Takigakure by tonight. There's a bounty station just west of there, so if we're able to find the kunoichi and take them out before tomorrow, I'll..." Kakuzu suddenly paused. He turned his head toward the ceiling as if there was something interesting and amazing on it. "I'll let us sleep in a hotel... There's this hotel in Takigakure... It has an all you can eat buffet... I think you would enjoy that, right?"

Hidan stared at his partner, his mouth hanging open slightly as if what Kakuzu had said was the most shocking thing ever. Kakuzu studied Hidan's expression, then raised a eyebrow at him, waiting for him to answer his question. Suddenly a huge grin appeared on Hidan's face. He nodded frantically as he pushed himself out of the old, filthy bed and over to his scythe which he placed against the wall next to the closet door. He grabbed it and strapped it to his back before running his hand through is hair one last time to makes sure it was straight. He then ran up to his waiting partner's side, a smile still on his face as they both left the old shack.

---

A/n: Sorry about giving Kakuzu a past... I just thought it would be a fun idea, but if you don't like it then I'm sorry...

I'm also sorry about taking so long to post such a short chapter. School got in the way and... Well, I really didn't get a chance to work on it that much, so sorry.

Anyway, even though it's a short chapter it's probably my favorite one. I just like the small bit of fluff that's in this chapter, something you rarely see between Hidan and Kakuzu.

While writing about the shack I had came up with a small story behind it. I don't know why, my brain just sort of wondered why a small shack would be located in the middle of the forest and be abandoned. I won't bore you with what I can up with, but I'll tell you one thing. The closet that Hidan had his scythe next to, there's a corpse inside it. That's why the shack smelt so bad.

Thank you again for your reviews! I'm glad people like my writing. I'll try to continue updating as soon as possible.


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